Festival trek: Avondale neighbors harvest honey (with video)

The summer festival season is in full swing on this first Saturday in June. There is something for every interest from downtown Birmingham to Alabaster to Bessemer and back.

The Juneteenth Culture Fest, Helena Market Days, Alabaster Cityfest and the Magic City Brewfest are some of today's major events.News staff writer Michael Tomberlin and News staff photographer Jeff Roberts are going to try to hit as many as they can today. Their festival dispatches will be posted here at al.com/birmingham.

Festival hopping is a tough job, but someone has to do it.

FOURTH STOP: Avondale Honey Harvest

Dano Loudon shows off a pint of his raw honey that came from the approximately 4-1/2 gallons harvested from his two bee hives. Loudon set up a stand in his yard and invited neighbors to stop by for a sampling of the spring honey. (The Birmingham News/Jeff Roberts)Dano and Pam Loudon in Avondale decided to turn the spring harvesting of their honey into a neighborhood event.

"I call it 'Tom Sawyering' because I didn't want to do all of the work myself," Dano Loudon said with a laugh.

Around 30 friends and neighbors, including many children who took advantage of the educational opportunities, attended the harvesting of the honey.

"I grew up on a farm and wanted my kids to see more than dogs and cats," Loudon said to explain why he became a beekeeper.

Today's harvest pulled more than four gallons from the hives -- all of it made by Avondale bees collecting nectar from Avondale flowers within a four-mile radius of the Loudon home.

"This is pure honey in its most natural state," Loudon said, pointing to what remains of the honey and biscuits on the table.

THANKS, BEES: The work ethic of bees is well referenced, but Loudon said bees teach us more about life.

"It's an amazing thing to watch a colony grow, thrive and then split," Loudon said.

Although the term used is "harvest," Loudon said it's really robbing the hive of its honey.